This post was written by Yon on April 24, 2012
Posted Under: Uncategorized

“An economy built on to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in the country. That means women should earn equal pay for equal work.” – President Obama

The first sentence is perfect… the second is a trap.

This quote is really interesting to me.

Let me explain: Individuals must sell themselves to their employers, it is what we bring to the table, it is the confidence we inspire, it is the visions that we inspire others to see when we interact with them, and ultimately it is the price we demand (are willing to accept) for our time that will determine our pay. The false assumption is that “equal work should be equal pay”, but in reality, we each bring a totally unique perspective, heart, work ethic, and set of past experiences to the table; there is no such thing as “equal work”, even in a factory setting, the difference between two factory workers who “do the same amount of work” will be in the precision and care with which they do it. There are many women who earn more than men; and when you meet them, you know why, they have developed themselves to win in a highly competitive world. Earning money, and more generally: creating values for others, require skills and skill development. Like any skill, anyone can choose to develop these skills or not.

Is it harder for a woman to do this?

This question could be a trap so observe the subtly: women are equally capable, yet society has fixed ideas which do make it harder. Every woman who achieves helps break through those fixed ideas. — For anyone looking to more efficiently convert time+effort into money, look to the resources within you to develop your vision and your skills. We can all learn how to learn faster. The heroic champions of tomorrow are those who seek the most aggressive personal growth/development today, and who commit to exponential growth and transformation as a way of life.

There will never be equal pay for equal work, those who develop themselves will always get more with the same or less actual effort, they will sell themselves more effectively, and they will out-compete anyone who does not make concerted and consistent effort to grow.